Good Business
by Kailey Hamilton
Summary: Scorpius, like most of the Slytherins, hadn't visited the joke shop at Diagon Alley because of the Weasleys. Some of them had, and they had pretended to dislike the place (because of the Weasleys.) Scorpius' first thought was that he knew that they were pretending, because the shop was the single most amazing one he'd ever been in his life. Rose&Scorpius FRIENDSHIP. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: Recognize it? Not mine._

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**Good Business**

"Are you coming in or what?" Rose Weasley's voice reached Scorpius. "You've been standing there for over half an hour."

His eyes met hers, not initially understanding what she'd said. But once he processed her words, he vaguely recalled having noticed two of the Weasley girls walk into the shop together in whispers and giggles. He'd recognized the tall, wiry, dark one as Roxanne - she was the best Beater he'd ever encountered and feared. The redheaded one was obviously Rose, the most talented and intelligent witch in his year.

He'd always felt apprehension of sorts for her. Her brains and her power made her arrogant and bossy, but she wasn't as unpopular as he would've expected. She was also very prone to going on long rants and exploding with laughter at inappropriate times. All in all, Rose exuded an aura of leadership and command that made Scorpius – and many others, really - feel utterly intimidated by her.

But there she was, asking him to enter the one shop in Diagon Alley he'd never visited, but always felt curious about.

"I don't have all day, Malfoy," Rose insisted. Scorpius was glad that she was unaware of his inner struggle. "Feel free to keep staring, but it seems to me that's a highly unproductive task."

He tried to come up with excuses, since he couldn't bring himself to say the truth. He couldn't think of any, so taking a deep breath, he stepped in after Rose - if only to quench her obvious annoyance.

Scorpius, like most of the Slytherins, hadn't visited the joke shop at Diagon Alley because of the _Weasleys_. Some of them had, and they had pretended to dislike the place (because of the _Weasleys_.) Scorpius' first thought was that he knew that they were pretending, because the shop was the single most amazing one he'd ever been in his life.

Even though it looked small on the outside, it was huge on the inside (_so Weasley-like_) and the shelves towered over him in a way that would've been menacing if it wasn't for their wacky shapes and the products on display. Fireworks flew about all over the store, and the noise they made was the only one he could hear.

"Are you looking for something?" It was Rose again, taking him out of his trance. "You can talk to me, you know. I don't bite."

He felt disoriented, but there was something he knew he needed.

"I-I normally mail-order the Spell-Checking Quills, but now that I'm here-"

"Did you get the latest catalogue?"

"Not really, just-"

"Then come with me. We've made improved Quills and I'd like to show you."

"_We?_" he asked, glad that she couldn't interrupt during a monosyllabic question. She'd started to walk hurriedly, so he was struggling to follow her.

"I'm working here. I don't do any of the complex stuff or charms, mostly because I'm still underage, but some simple potions and selling stuff I can do. Just now, we were working on a jinxed ink that vanishes within minutes. Amazing, huh?"

"That's…" He thought of what to say, but all he could think of was a History of Magic assignment vanishing in front of his eyes. "…mean," he finished. The use of such a word made her roll her eyes.

"_Mean_ is what your cousin does to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. This is an innocent prank. The ink reappears promptly, so your work isn't lost. They wanted to do a counter-spell instead of a built-in antidote, but decided it was just easier this way. Besides, just imagine all the Ravenclaws that would sabotage each other that way!"

Her observation made him laugh softly. "Good call."

"Indeed." They'd reached the far end of the shop, where a single door could be see. She opened it and went through, and Scorpius followed.

Too late, he realized that he was in the storage rooms and that technically, he wasn't supposed to be there. The shelves there were thinner and less flamboyant, but were still so full of merchandise that it seemed as if hey were going to break apart.

He took a step back, but Rose's hurried whispers stopped him.

"Don't you hide," she said. "It's not like there's a sign at the door saying 'no Malfoys allowed.' Besides, any business is good business. So relax."

Her words let him know that she understood the source of his discomfort, and such a fact only heightened the awkwardness.

"Well, here we are," she said. There was a ladder nearby, and she effortlessly climbed on it, ignoring the shaking of the furniture and the products that threatened to fall.

"Who are you?" The voice startled him, and he turned around to look at a red-headed man who watched him vigilantly. He was missing an ear, so it wasn't hard to identify him as George Weasley.

"Malfoy is with me, Uncle George," Rose said. "I'm getting him some of the new quills."

The man looked at him even more warily at the mention of his last name. Scorpius wished she hadn't said it at all.

"Just get him some of the regular-"

"He's a loyal client. He always orders these." Her pseudo-professional tone made the man smile, while she climbed back down and addressed Scorpius, placing a box in his hand. "Anyway, Malfoy, these are the newest ones that last longer and come in different colors. They also have a new detecting mechanism that informs you when the charm is wearing off."

"Such a charm is still on its testing stage!"

"Uncle George is right. Of course, you get a longer guarantee period. Er, one year instead of six months, isn't it?"

"That's my girl!"

"One year, then. Keep in mind that the price is considerably higher than the one you're used to, so I can still get you the regular ones if you'd like."

He never thought that her qualities would make her a good salesperson – she was too obnoxious for that - but the way she genuinely seemed to want to help him, going out of her way to do so, made him regard her more kindly.

Just why was she doing that?

"I'll have two packs of these, actually." He didn't voice his thoughts. "Thanks."

She climbed back up, and Scorpius avoided looking at Mr. Weasley again. Instead, he examined the quills that were on his hands as if they were the most interesting thing ever.

"Anything else I can do for you?"

He wanted to look around so badly – he'd only seen the shop from pictures in the catalogue, and he'd never seen most of the products in person. "I don't think I'll get anything else," he said sincerely. "Can you just show me around?"

"Sure thing."

"Don't let your father catch you, Rose!" Mr. Weasley yelled behind them. He saw her roll her eyes again.

"Follow me." _As if I hadn't been doing that already, _Scorpius thought.

She seemed to love the place even more than he had on his first impression. She guided him around, talking ceaselessly about things she thought might interest him. She ignored the section with the love potions, and spent fifteen minutes in the one with the Quidditch articles. He knew she didn't care about Quidditch and that they were on opposing teams, so it didn't bother him that she just stood by while he looked around.

But it did make him wonder.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" he finally asked aloud when he was done looking.

"Well, Malfoy, I happen to think you're a decent bloke," she said. "Adults can be idiots sometimes. My dad - he's quite prejudiced. If he sees you, he might treat you in a way you certainly don't deserve. It's ridiculous, it's unfair, and it's counterproductive."

"Any business is good business, isn't it?" He repeated her earlier words, amused. "Can you ring the quills for me, then? I won't be taking anything else."

She nodded silently and this time, it felt to him as if they were _walking together_ toward the register. Something about her attitude had made him warm up to her, in a way. He never thought that Rose Weasley had even determined him – then again, the Malfoys and the Weasleys were known enemies and he was glad that she could nonchalantly ignore the feuds that involved both families.

He kept quiet as he paid for his quills. Rose, for once, didn't seem to feel the need to fill every possible silence with chatter.

"See you in September?" she asked in the end as she placed his quills in a bag. Her tone was friendly this time, rather than commanding. She wore a sincere smile.

"Sounds about right." He took the bag she offered and smiled in return. "Thank you, Weasley."

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_Notes: For the Fanfiction School of Imagination and Creativity (Prompts: Word count, Ron Weasley, hiding, intelligence) and the Quidditch League Competition (Friendship stories; Rose&Scorpius as agreed by me and Liza.)_

_Thanks to Jess (autumn midnights) for being the wonderful beta-reader that she is._

_Thanks to you too, reader._

_-Karyn._


End file.
